Prince of Song Dynasty

Chapter 108 Pulling Ye Chen into the Water
"But in this way, isn't it..." Zhao Dezhao frowned in doubt.

Without waiting for Zhao Dezhao to finish speaking, Chen Dongyang said: "Which state should be used for the operation, of course, His Highness cannot be allowed to make such an opening. His Highness can completely leave this decision to Wang Xin and Hu Zhengyi to choose. , let Huangfu Tong and Li You leak this matter. This will neither offend Jin Wang nor Zhao Xianggong, and it can be regarded as giving Zhao Xianggong enough face."

Zhao Dezhao's eyes lit up, and he nodded in agreement.

When Wang Xin and Hu Zhengyi came out of Wei Wang's room, they couldn't help but heaved a sigh of relief, and then their hearts were full of murderous intentions, and they were just waiting for a big fight.

Before the two of them came, Zhao Guangyi had personally explained that most officials in the Jianghuai area had good relations with Zhao Pu, and they had given Zhao Pu money and goods over the years. One of the magistrates who had a close relationship with Zhao Pu and had problems with raising food this time, followed the vines and found evidence of Zhao Pu's corruption and bribery.

Speaking of which, Wang Xin and Hu Zhengyi were also able ministers, and there were three officials in Kaifeng of the Nan Yamen, apart from Ren Zhiliang, the chief official of the sixth rank, they were the two deputy officials of the sixth rank.

The two of them were able to serve as officials in important places in the capital, so they were naturally among the best in investigating and solving cases.Otherwise, Zhao Guangyi would not have sent him to do such a big event.

Ever since Zhao Pu took advantage of this food raising and proposed that the eldest son of the emperor, Zhao Dezhao, be crowned king, Zhao Guangyi felt the crisis. After discussing with his staff that night, he decided to launch a counterattack, trying to trip up his old enemy Zhao Pu.

As for helping Wei Wang Zhao Dezhao to successfully complete the grain transportation by the way, which greatly increased Zhao Dezhao's prestige, for Zhao Guangyi who had other plans, he never took this matter to heart.The only thing he worries and scruples about is that the existence of Zhao Pu will affect and destroy the big event he has been planning for many years.

Putting hope on Zhao Kuangyin's death, and whether the throne will be passed on to his younger brother or his son, Zhao Guangyi would never do such a thing.What's more, with Zhao Kuangyin's current physical condition, even if Zhao Kuangyin really wanted to pass the throne to Zhao Guangyi, Zhao Guangyi didn't have that patience.Because Zhao Kuangyin was in the prime of his life in the Spring and Autumn Period and had always been in good health, no matter how he looked at it, he would have no problem being the emperor for another 20 years.For such a long time, with Zhao Guangyi's character, he would never wait any longer.

Not long after Hu Zhengyi and Wang Xin left, Huangfutong and Li You were invited to King Wei's room, and after a while, they also came out.Compared to the joy of Hu Zhengyi and Wang Xin, apart from the heavy and worried expressions on their faces, they also had expressions of joy and sneer.Now that they already knew that Hu Zhengyi and Wang Xin were going to attack Chuzhou, how could they not secretly report to the prefect of Chuzhou to make him prepare and take precautions.

People in the Jianghuai area like to drink tea rather than alcohol. Compared with the north, there are no fewer teahouses in the city than restaurants.

Yamingxuan is one of the best teahouses in Suzhou. Its owner, Li Hong, has many shops in Suzhou. He is a well-known wealthy businessman in Suzhou and even in the Jianghuai area. It is not uncommon for him to drink tea with the prefect of Suzhou.

But at this time, in the living room of Yamingxuan's backyard, Li Hong, the boss of Yamingxuan, stood bowed in front of the two stunning women, not daring to move, not daring to swat even if a mosquito crawled on his neck.

Among the two women, Li Hong only knew one person. He was the elder of the outer sect of the Holy Church, and Li Siyan, the first person in charge of the Holy Church in Kaifeng, the capital. His status in the Holy Church was four or five levels higher than him, which was equivalent to that of a local government official. From the difference between the seventh-rank county magistrate and the third-rank transfer envoy who is in charge of all the way.But a character like Li Siyan obeys another woman's orders and dare not disobey in the slightest. Li Hong dare not imagine what kind of character this woman is.

At this time, Li Hong was telling everything he knew according to Li Siyan's question, while guessing the identity of this strange woman in his heart.I thought to myself, could it be the elders in the temple, but although there is a woman like Li Siyan among the elders of the outer sect, I have never heard of a woman among the elders of the temple.

So what kind of identity is this woman?
He suddenly remembered a secret order from the temple that he had received some time ago, saying that a new saint was appointed in the temple, who was equal to the nine elders of the temple, and even more detached.Could it be that this woman is that saint.

With Li Hong's status, he still doesn't know the top-secret matter of the ancestor of the temple, so his guess can only stop here.

However, with such a guess, Li Hong's heart was already excited, and his expression was filled with awe.

"In this way, among the Jianghuai prefectures, the prefect of Nasi Prefecture has the most serious corruption." Li Siyan finally asked.

Li Hong respectfully nodded and said yes, while quietly paying attention to the saint who had been silent all the time from the corner of his eye.Finding that the latter had nothing to dissatisfy, he let out a long sigh of relief.

At this moment, a burly man walked in, quietly came to Li Siyan's side, and said something in a low voice.

Li Siyan was taken aback after hearing this, and glanced at Li Hong, who then bowed and retreated.

"Miss! Uncle Xiangfu just left the imperial ship at the Suzhou wharf. He took his guards and hid his identity. Well... Uncle Xiangfu didn't wear the human leather mask that Miss prepared for him. He just dressed up as a rich man and rode a horse to Sizhou. Go in the same direction." After Li Honggong went out, Li Siyan said respectfully to Yu Daoxiang.

There was a hint of surprise on Yu Daoxiang's face, he glanced at Li Siyan, and said: "It was really what you said a few days ago, after Ye Chen saw clearly that Zhao Pu and Zhao Guangyi were involved in this matter, he really let go of it." Yes. It looks like I want to go on a tour. As for the human skin mask, before leaving Kaifeng, I told him that the disguise mask was made by peeling off the skin of a living person. I saw his expression at that time. , he knew that he would never use it unless it was a critical moment of life and death."

When Li Siyan heard Yu Daoxiang's praise, he just showed a hint of joy, and then said: "Miss! Did you set up a trick to drag Ye Chen into the water according to what we said before? Let him mix into the two Zhaos. fighting."

Yu Daoxiang was very satisfied that Li Siyan could understand her thoughts and purpose, nodded and said: "Since he is going to Sizhou, and the prefect of Sizhou is the most corrupt, let's drag him into trouble in Sizhou!"

The so-called Jianghuai area actually mainly refers to most areas of Huainan Road and Liangzhe Road.The land of these two roads is really a land of fish and rice, the largest granary in the Song Dynasty, and also the main road section where the North-South Universiade passed.

When Ye Chen was in Suzhou, he quietly disembarked from the imperial ship with his guards, contacted the four of Li Junhao, got together, dressed up as ordinary wealthy people, went out to visit relatives and friends, and traveled all the way to Sizhou. and go.

Ye Chen decided to go to Sizhou for three reasons.

First of all, Ye Chen had a deep impression of Sizhou in later generations.

As far as Ye Chen knows, Sizhou has a long history, and it was already a county of Xu State in Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties. It is mentioned in "Fengyang Mansion Chronicles": "Sizhou overlooks the Huai River in the south, and controls the Bianliu in the north. Although the land is flat and wide, the hills and ridges are knotted, the mountains and rivers are arched, and the wind is green, and it is a well-shaped area." " "Sizhou Chronicle" says: "Sizhou is in the extreme south of the state, facing Changhuai and facing Xushan Mountain. The city started in Song Dynasty. There were two old cities, the east and the west, which were built with earth. At the beginning of Ming Dynasty, they were built with bricks and stones, and they were combined into one city. , the Bianhe path is [-] steps away from Zhou Jiuli, and the height is two feet and five feet."

In addition, there is a very famous and mythical fact about Sizhou: after Zhu Yuanzhang conquered the country in the Ming Dynasty, he found the Zhu family's ancestral grave thirteen miles north of Sizhou City.So the construction of the first mausoleum of the Ming Dynasty - the Ming Zu Mausoleum was built.Zhu Yuanzhang buried the clothes of Gaozu, great-grandfather and the bones of his grandfather here.The prestige of the Ming Zu Mausoleum not only brought unprecedented prosperity to Sizhou City, but also brought hidden dangers to it.In the end, this famous city in the Xingsheng area was destroyed in the 19th year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty. It was submerged in the bottom of Hongze Lake by the roaring waves of the Yellow River. Two Pompeii.As a result, the myths and legends of Shen Sizhou, the jellyfish empress, have been widely circulated among the people.

Even in later generations, there is still an ancient Sizhou site.Moreover, Ye Chen visited it with his own eyes. Ye Chen really wanted to see the Sizhou ruins restored to their original appearance in later generations.Not everyone has the opportunity to witness the vicissitudes of life in this life and the future.

Secondly, although Sizhou City is low-lying and has long been known as Zexiang Water Country, due to the developed water and land transportation, it is actually the throat of the Central Plains and the hub of the north and south. Its political, economic, cultural, and military status is very important.Food from the south to the north is transferred here, and groups of ships berth here.Before Ye Chen came to Jianghuai, he deliberately checked the geography, customs, and human conditions of Jianghuai. He remembered that there was a poem praising: "When the officials and guests are full of breams, the cars and horses are in a hurry." Food is the most critical point.Although Ye Chen was unwilling to get involved in the secret struggle between Zhao Pu and Zhao Guangyi, since he was the deputy imperial envoy of the Jianghuai trip, he was determined to complete the food collection smoothly.Then places like this are always the way to go.

The last reason is Ye Chen's selfishness.Sizhou City not only has developed water and land transportation, a prosperous economy, but also a tourist attraction. Ye Chen was on the boat a few days ago, and he heard Jia Xian mention the ten scenic spots in Sizhou, which are Fuliang Lianying, Huilan Evening Bell, Huai The floating smoke on the water, the towering emerald green of Xushan Mountain, the dawn moon at Yuwangtai, the morning glow at Lingrui Pagoda, the spring of Shicuicui Hall, the autumn wind at Hanging Sword Terrace, the winding mountain shape of Jiugang, and the ring belt of a river.As soon as you hear the name, you know that it is a good place for sightseeing.

There is also the Puzhaowang Temple, one of the five famous temples in the Song Dynasty, which happened to be in Sizhou. I heard that its main building, the Sangha Pagoda, is [-] feet high, and its shadow casts on the Huai River. It is very spectacular and very famous in the Song Dynasty.

Even a hundred years later, Ouyang Xiu wrote a poem about the charming scenery of Sizhou: "The clouds are blue, the sky is blue, the bamboos are quiet, and the sun is warm and the flowers are flourishing."

(End of this chapter)